Has anyone here ever had a sick cat that required a feeding tube?

We had a cat who required a feeding tube. This tube was attached directly to her stomach. She hated it and sadly didn’t live terribly long after. If I could do it all over again I think we would just have had her put to sleep. But that was her. Each situation is different. Your cat might prosper and become the happy, healthy kitty you once enjoyed. I certainly hope so. My cats are more than pets, but are a legitimate part of our family.
Good luck!

@AstroChuck: What was her original diagnosis and how old was she?

I have tube fed a lot of pups but never a kitten. It is not a fun job but not that difficult. The scary part is that you might accidentally get the tube into the lung instead of the gut and drown them. I wouldn’t want to do it for months that is for sure. How many times a day must it be done? With pups it was every couple of hours, sometimes less. I guess it wouldn’t be that often with an adult. I think I would try to consider the cat more than my own feelings. Animals don’t think or fear the end as we do, so maybe it would rather just go to sleep. 8 years isn’t real old but it is not a kitten. Sorry I don’t have an easy answer for you.

Feeding tubes are used fairly regularly in cats (in large part because they can develop hepatic lipidosis if they go without eating for any appreciable time). Esophygeal feeding tubes are placed by a veterinarian and checked by radiograph for placement and then sutured into place (an e-tube is very different from the feeding tube that @rooeytoo references – that is a very short term solution to dehydration in which a tube is manually passed orally into the stomach).

We use e-tubes failry often and have good results. The link above does a good job of explaining how to use and maintain an e-tube, and once the cat starts eating on his own it can be pulled. It’s very unusual to have to use one for months. (Force feeding is not efficient and you risk aspiration pnuemonia.)

@syz: Thank you!

I have the esophygeal feeding tube placed in my cat and am just waiting for him to turn a corner. He originally had bad allergies for which he was treated with long-acting cortisone. The cortisone caused some temporary diabetic state that we were able to pull him out of. Immediately after we stabilized his blood sugar though, he just stopped eating. My vet internist suspected pancreatitis brought on by all of the insulin/allergy stuff. Since then, it hasn’t been an easy road but I’ve been assured he’ll be fine if we can ‘feed him through it.’ It’s now been almost a month and he doesn’t seem to be quite turning the corner yet. His labs are mostly normal aside from some phosphorous issues. He’s on a variety of meds; including famotodine, ondansetron, tumil k, metoclopramide and sufalcrate.

He’s had diagnostics done and there doesn’t appear to be anything obvious on ultrasound. I was just hoping to see if anyone else had any experience, knew of timelines, had any advice or if there was anything I was overlooking. This cat is more than just a pet to me and I would never let him suffer – but I also don’t want to give up on him and am committed to doing everything I can to ensure his recovery – if that’s possible.

I am a little lost and most of the internet overviews are pretty general – so I was hoping for some real experience,

@figbash Yes, sadly, very few primary care veterinarians really educate clients on the risks of steriod use, expecially long term use.

Has your internist tried the appetite stimulant cyproheptadine? (Some cats don’t tolerate it well, but it can be helpful.) You’ve got a pretty heavy duty drug list there, and if his blood values are normal, it’s a bit surprising that he isn’t responding more. Has he had an pancreatic ultrasound?

@syz: he had a general abd us but nothing specific to pancreas. Allegedly the pancreas looked ‘bright’ which is what had them leaning toward the pancreatitis diagnosis. He has had mirtazapine. So far, he’s looking at the bowl when he’s hungry, but I can’t get him to eat anything.

We’re all surprised he hasn’t turned the corner with all of our efforts. I’m feeding him 120 – 200 ccs of food a day – plus he gets fluids. I just don’t know if we’re missing anything. This has been a pretty hard time on us both.

What type of food are you putting in his bowl?

Have you tried “Kitty Crack”? That’s the nickname given to Fancy Feast canned food by people with CRF cats who frequently have appetite problems ,

Time and again, when cats refuse everything else, Fancy Feast manages to entice them.

I had a cat who just stopped eating or drinking altogether following her spay. (Most cats are off their feed for a day or two but this was continuing and I was very aware of the possibility of Hepatic Lipidosis from prolonged non eating)

The vet gave her an appetite stimulant shot as well as pills but they did nothing at all.

So they spent time telling me what and what not to do for assisted feeding ( using a pediatric oral syringe).

It was while I was researching assisted feeding, that I kept seeing references to how Fancy Feast worked better than anything else.

So between the syringe feeding and the FF, she started coming around after a few days and slowly returned to normal eating.

Give Fancy Feast a try. It’s not really horrendously expensive and try different flavors. You never know what she will find appealing.

You could also try warming it up a little since cats are so smell oriented. Maybe also add a little tuna oil to it.

@syz

When you use the term “force feeding” are you also referring to syringe feeding.

I do realize that if done incorrectly, it could lead to pneumonia as you mentioned.

I think my vet was saving the feeding tube as a last resort (since it is basically a surgical procedure) and gave me very specific instructions along with a demo.

They said not to put the food back near her throat or even to do it straight from the center.

I put small amounts in that little space between her teeth on the side. They told me not to rush it and use small amounts of food only and not too much water to dilute it.

I did not hold her on her back ( like a baby) but kept her upright on the kitchen counter which was the perfect height.

And fortunately, after the first few times, I found that she would lap it up off a spoon quite willingly so that worked out much better.

They did warn me about the possibility of pneumonia if she got food in her windpipe so even tho it took longer, I just used small amounts on the side of her mouth so that she swallowed in her own time instead of “forcing” it down her throat.

Fortunately, this whole process was only necessary for a few days since she really took to the FF eagerly.

For a cat as sick as that of the OP, I realize its not as simple and I was pretty fortunate that Smoochie’s appetite problems were not longstanding.

But I really think that the syringe feeding and the Fancy Feast made a world of difference toward a good result.

I’m also curious about whether or not you’ve had to deal with cats who just stopped eating or drinking following a spay ? This was the first time I’ve ever seen this and I’ve had many cats spayed over the years as have many of my friends and never heard of this.

Is it the shock of the surgery or what? It was such a strange and alarming experience. I guess she really is super sensitive.

I must admit it never occurred to me that they would surgically implant a feeding tube. Hope it all works out for your cat!